This invention relates to electrical connectors, particularly to a stacking and orientation independent plug and socket electrical connector.
A "stacking" electrical connector combines a plug and a socket in one integral unit. When the integral plug is coupled to an external socket, the integral socket is still available to receive another external plug. This allows several stacking connectors to be joined at a single socket location.
An "orientation independent" electrical connector does not require a particular angular orientation of the plug and socket around the axis of insertion of the plug into the socket. In various embodiments, this allows the plug to be inserted without first aligning it to a particular angular orientation, allows the selection of a final angular position of the plug and socket to provide convenient exit of the cable away from the plug and socket, or in a "swiveling" or "rotatable" form allows rotation of the plug through an angle around the axis of plug insertion without loss of electrical contact with the socket.
The stacking feature has been available in some forms of the common "banana" plug. The stacking feature is also available in the large stacking connectors used for connecting devices communicating via the General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB) or IEEE Standard 488 specifications. This is a 24-conductor cable with a plug and a socket mounted back-to-back in a housing and connected together, with a cable exiting at a fixed angle perpendicular to the axis of connector mating. However, these connectors are not orientation independent.
The orientation independent or "swiveling" feature has been available in the common stereo headphone plug and jack, a descendent of the telephone jack. However, these connectors are limited to a small number of electrical contacts or circuits, and do not include the stacking feature.
The stacking and orientation independent features have not been previously been combined in a single multiple contact plug and socket electrical connector. Such a connector would provide the advantages of each feature as mentioned above, and provide a connector of great value for connecting to a device where the panel space for connectors is limited but where a large number of cables need to be connected to the device.